Automatic urine disposal device and urine receptacle used therefor

ABSTRACT

A wearer wears a urine receptacle in which a urine absorbent material  3  is housed in a substantially rectangular, non-breathable, liquid-impermeable outer sheet  4  having a letter-U-shaped cross section, and the surface of the urine absorbent material  3  is covered with a hard-breathable top sheet  2 . Urine is discharged from a urine drainage port  4   b  formed on the bottom surface of the outer sheet  4  to a sealed urine tank by a vacuum pump through urine drainage tubes  11   a  and  11   b.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic urine disposaldevice worn by the bedridden elderly, hospitalized patients, physicallydisabled people, and others who are unable to voluntarily control thebladder or to clean up urine on their own and also relates to a urinereceptacle used therefor.

[0002] Because of age, physical disability, hospitalization due toinjury or illness, or other physical conditions, people sometimes becomeunable to voluntarily control the bladder or clean up urine on theirown. In those situations, substantially, a catheter is directly insertedinto the bladder to discharge urine or paper diaper is used.

[0003] When a catheter is directly inserted into the bladder, the wearerfeels great discomfort and there is also the probability of injuring theurethra or bladder or the occurrence of an infection. Thus, expertise aswell as special sterilized utensils is required.

[0004] When a paper diaper is worn for a prolonged period of time, urinemay leak, the wearer can become uncomfortable, get stuffy, or skintroubles such as rashes may occur. To avoid this, the paper diaper mustbe frequently changed, which will impose considerable physical andmental burdens on both the wearer and the caretaker. Imposed on a dailybasis, those physical and mental burdens become a big concern and asignificant economical burden as well.

[0005] To avoid those problems, urine that has been absorbed by a urineabsorbent material, which is a thick liquid-absorbent sheet, encased inthe main portion of the urine receptacle is discharged by a vacuum pumpand directed to a urine tank. The vacuum pump absorbs air in a sealedurine tank and due to the pressure difference between the tank'spressure and the atmospheric pressure, urine absorbed in the urineabsorbent material is drained through the urine drainage tube into theurine tank. Automatic urine disposal devices of such configuration aredisclosed, for instance, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 07-171182and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 11-113946.

[0006] In the conventional devices, the urine receiving surface of theurine absorbent material, which is the surface that comes in contactwith a wearer 's urinating part, is exposed to air. This situationcauses air to be absorbed together with urine, which decreases the urineabsorbent efficiency of the device. For this reason, the amount of urinewhich remains in the urine receptacle (urine absorbent material) islarge, which makes the wearer feel uncomfortable. To reduce the amountof urine which remains in the urine receptacle, the capacity of thevacuum pump must be increased. Accordingly, it becomes necessary toincrease the size and volume of the urine disposal device.

[0007] As stated above, in the conventional devices, the amount of urinewhich remains in the urine receptacle is large, and the reduction ofsuch a volume of urine requires a large and heavy urine disposal device.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a compact andlightweight automatic urine disposal device which increases thepercentage of urine collection by the urine receptacle and also toprovide a urine receptacle used therefor.

[0009] The present invention is designed such that it uses a urinereceptacle in which a urine absorbent material is housed in asubstantially rectangular, non-breathable, liquid-impermeable outersheet having a letter-U-shaped cross section and the surface of theurine absorbent material is cover ed with a non-breathable top sheet;and urine is discharged from a urine drainage port formed on the bottomsurface of the outer sheet to a sealed urine tank by a vacuum pumpthrough a urine drainage tube.

[0010] In other words, in the present invention, the urine absorbentmaterial is housed in the non-breathable, liquid-impermeable outersheet, and a hard-breathable, liquid-permeable top sheet, whichstretches between both upper ends of the outer sheet's edge portions(foot portion), covers the urine absorbent material. Thus, the outersheet together with the top sheet keeps the urine absorbent materialhighly airtight, and a vacuum pump decreases air pressure in the urineabsorbent material, thereby directing urine from a urine drainage portin the outer sheet to a urine tank through a urine drainage tube.

[0011] In the urine receptacle used for the present invention, the urineabsorbent material is housed in both the outer sheet and the top sheetand kept highly airtight. Therefore, as air pressure in the urineabsorbent material decreases, the urine absorbent material iscompressed, causing urine to be squeezed out. As a result, thepercentage of urine collection increases and the amount of urine whichremains in the urine receptacle is reduced. With the increase in thepercentage of urine collection, a small capacity vacuum pump with a lowpower can drain urine from the urine absorbent material. Therefore, itis possible to drain urine from the urine receptacle without discomfortto the wearer, and the device can be compact and lightweight.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012]FIG. 1 is a whole block diagram showing the automatic urinedisposal device according to an embodiment of the present invention

[0013]FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of an embodiment of the urinereceptacle.

[0014]FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line A-Ain FIG. 2.

[0015]FIG. 4 is an auxiliary sectional view taken in the direction ofarrow B in FIG. 2.

[0016]FIG. 5 shows the condition when the urine receptacle is worn.

[0017]FIG. 6 is one example of characteristic diagrams of the automaticurine disposal device.

[0018]FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the urine receptacle accordingto another embodiment of the present invention

[0019]FIG. 8 through FIG. 10 are block diagrams showing the urinereceptacle according to a further embodiment of the present invention,in which FIG. 10 shows an enlarged sectional view taken along the lineC-D in FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0020]FIGS. 1 through 4 show an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an automatic urine disposal deviceaccording to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a detail block diagram ofa urine receptacle, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially alongthe line A-A in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is an auxiliary view taken in thedirection of arrow B in FIG. 2. FIG. 2(a) is a view partially brokenaway.

[0021] In FIGS. 1 through 4, a urine receptacle 1 which absorbs urinedischarged from a wearer's urinating part is substantially rectangularand its width at the middle portion in the longitudinal direction isnarrow so that it is shaped like an hourglass. The urine receptacle 1comprises a top sheet 2, urine absorbent material 3, outer sheet 4 andgathers 5. The top sheet 2 is made of a soft, flexible material, such asa non-woven fabric. The urine absorbent material 3, outer sheet 4 andgathers 5 are also made of soft, flexible materials.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, the outer sheet 4 which is a component of theurine receptacle 1 is substantially rectangular and its width at themiddle portion in the longitudinal direction is narrow so that it isshaped like an hourglass. The reason for this shape is to fit thewearer's crotch.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, the cross section of the outer sheet 4 in thewidth direction is in the forked shape, and a urine drainage port 4 b isformed on the bottom surface. The cross section of the outer sheet 4 inthe longitudinal direction is also in the forked shape as shown in FIG.3, although the size is different. The edge portion (foot portion) 4 ais formed along the outer periphery of the substantially rectangularouter sheet 4.

[0024] The outer sheet 4 is a liquid-impermeable, non-breathable thinsheet and is made of polyethylene film, for example. The outer sheet 4is 200 to 300 mm long and 50 to 100 mm wide. The outer sheet 4 may besimply made of a liquid-impermeable, non-breathable member; however,desirably, an optimal member can be chosen by taking into accountstuffiness which may result from the prolonged use.

[0025] The outer surface of the outer sheet 4 is laminated with a softand smooth surface material (not shown), such as a polypropylenenon-woven fabric, to prevent the wearer from becoming uncomfortable. Theinner surface of the outer sheet 4 has been treated with awater-repellent material.

[0026] The urine absorbent material 3 is housed in the outer sheet 4,and a liquid-permeable, hard-breathable top sheet 2 covers the surface(upper surface) of the urine absorbent material 3. The top sheet 2 isadhered to both upper ends of the edge portions (foot portion) 4 b ofthe outer sheet 4, and the outer sheet 4 together with the adhered topsheet 2 keeps the urine absorbent material 3 highly airtight.

[0027] Herein, hard breathability of the top sheet 2 means that thebreathability measured according to the General Textile Testing Method'sbreathability testing method A, prescribed in JIS L 1096, 6.27.1, isfrom 0 to 100 cm³/cm²/second and preferably from 0 to 50 cm³/cm²/secondwhen the top sheet 2 is moist. When the top sheet 2 is dry, thebreathability is from 20 to 200 cc/cm²/second, preferably from 20 to 100cc/cm²/second, and more preferably from 20 to 50 cm³/cm²/second.

[0028] Herein, “being moist” is a condition in which moisture content(%) of the top sheet 2 that is obtained by the following equation is100% or more, and “being dry” is a condition in which the top sheet 2has been left dry in the 20° C. and RH 60% atmosphere, or the conditionof, what is called, official moisture regain.

Moisture content=(Weight of moist sheet−Weight of dry sheet)/(Weight ofdry sheet)  (Equation 1)

[0029] The urine absorbent material 3 is 5 mm thick and is designed toabsorb approximately 500 cm³ Of urine. The capacity of absorbing 300 cm³of urine is adequate for holding one urination of one average adult.However, a good safety margin is provided for the amount of urine to beabsorbed in the material by allowing for a decrease in urine absorptionof the urine receptacle 1 due to pressure applied to the urinereceptacle 1 when a wearer is seated causing the urine receptacle 1 tobe pressed between the wearer's body and the seating surface, or anincrease in pressure as the result of the wearer closing his/her hipjoint and sandwiching the urine receptacle 1.

[0030] The top sheet 2 is made of a liquid-permeable, hard-breathablenon-woven fabric made of, for example, polypropylene and polyolefinpolyester blended with cotton so that friction between the wearer's skinand the fabric is minimized. In addition, a mesh sheet makes up a partof the surface of the non-woven fabric used as the top sheet 2 where itcomes in contact with the wearer's urinating part and the surroundingskin. This is to increase the liquid-absorbent and sweat-absorbentcapabilities so that urine can be quickly absorbed by the absorbentmaterial 3 through small pores created in the mesh sheet. Because urinecan be quickly absorbed by the absorbent material 3, the wearer has aminimal amount of discomfort due to moisture around the wearer'surinating part.

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, at the upper end of the edge portion 4a of the outer sheet 4, three-dimensional gathers 5 are created suchthat they are slanted inwardly along the periphery of the outer sheet 4.These slantingly provided three-dimensional gathers 5 prevent leaks fromthe sides caused by the wearer's physical activity or change of posture.In addition, as shown in FIG. 2(b), two strips of anti-slip tape(two-sided tape) 6 adhere to the outer bottom surface of the outer sheet4. The anti-slip tape 6 adheres to the wearer's underwear to prevent theurine receptacle 1 from shifting.

[0032] One end of the urine drainage tube (a first urine drainage means)11 a is connected to the urine drainage port 4 b formed on the bottomsurface of the outer sheet 4. A one-touch joint 13 is mounted to one endof the urine drainage tube (a second urine drainage means) 11 b. Thisjoint 13 connects the other end of the urine drainage tube 11 a to theend of the urine drainage tube 11 b. The urine drainage tubes 11 a and11 b are made of soft, flexible materials, and the one-touch joint 13 isalso made of a soft material. Further, the first urine drainage meansincludes the urine drainage port 4 b also.

[0033] A urine tank 21 is sealed by a lid 22. The other end of the urinedrainage tube 11 b passes through the lid 22 of the urine tank 21 and islocated in the vapor phase area 21 a of the urine tank 21. One end ofthe vacuum tube 11 c is connected to a vacuum pump 31 and the other endpasses through the lid 22 of the urine tank 21 and is located in thevapor phase area 21 a of the urine tank 21. Like the urine drainagetubes 11 a and 11 b, the urine drainage tube 11 c is also made of asoft, flexible material.

[0034] The capacity of the urine tank 21 is about 500 cm³ which canstore two separate urinations. This tank also comes in 200 cm³ or 1000cm³ which allows for the prolonged use at night.

[0035] The vacuum pump 31 is driven by a motor 32. The motor 32 uses abattery 33 as a driving power source, and is controlled by a controldevice installed in the control board 34. The vacuum pump 31 is smallhaving a diameter of 30 mm×70 mm. Voltage of the battery 33 isapproximately 6 V.

[0036] A urine sensor 12 detects that urine has been absorbed by theurine absorbent material 3. It is located along the urine drainage tube11 a and is turned on in the vicinity of one end of the tube 11 a (nearthe urine drainage port 4 b) when urine is discharged. The urine sensor12 is electrically conductive and detects the wearer's urination bysensing the resistance value change. The urine detection signal detectedby the urine sensor 12 is inputted into the control board 34 thatcontrols the vacuum pump 31.

[0037] In this configuration, the urine receptacle 1 is worn inside thewearer's (not shown) underwear 41, as shown in FIG. 5, so that the topsheet 2 comes in contact with the wearer's urinating part. The urinetank 21, vacuum pump 31, and the motor 32 can be carried by the weareror can be placed on or under the bed on which the wearer lies.

[0038] When the wearer urinates, urine discharged in the urinereceptacle 1 is absorbed by the urine absorbent material 3 through thetop sheet (non -woven fabric) 2. When urine absorbed by the urineabsorbent material 3 reaches the urine drainage port 4 b of the outersheet 4, the urine sensor 12 is turned on, and a urine detection signalis inputted into the control board 34. The control device installed inthe control board 34 activates the motor 32 to drive the vacuum pump 31.

[0039] When air in the urine tank 21 has been discharged by the vacuumpump 31, air pressure in the urine absorbent material 3 decreases,creating negative pressure in the urine drainage port 4 b. Because thehard-breathable top sheet 2 and the non-breathable outer sheet 4 coverthe urine absorbent material 3 and keep it airtight, when air has beenremoved via the urine drainage tube 11 a, negative pressure is alsoapplied to the urine absorbent material 3.

[0040] When negative pressure is applied to the urine absorbent material3, a pressure difference between the material's pressure and theatmospheric pressure around the urine receptacle 1 causes the urineabsorbent material 3 to compress, as successively shown in FIGS. 4(a)and 4(b). Contraction of the urine absorbent material 3 will squeeze theabsorbed urine and direct its flow to the urine drainage port 4 b. Urinedirected to the urine drainage port 4 b is further directed into theurine tank 21 by the negative pressure via the urine drainage tubes 11 aand 11 b.

[0041] The inner surface of the outer sheet 4 is designed to bewater-repellent. Therefore, urine that has been squeezed from the urineabsorbent material 3 and stored between the urine absorbent material 3and the outer sheet 4 is quickly directed to the urine drainage port 4a.

[0042] The urine tank 21 can be removed by disconnecting the urinedrainage tubes 11 a and 11 b by unlocking the one-touch joint 13. Thus,the urine tank 21 can be carried and urine stored therein can bedisposed of. The urine receptacle 1 is replaced with a new one after thewearer h as worn it for a day, and the used urine receptacle 1 isdiscarded.

[0043] The wearer's urine is thus disposed of. The present inventioncovers the urine absorbent material 3 with the hard-breathable top sheet2, and the outer sheet 4 together with the top sheet 2 keeps the urineabsorbent material 3 highly airtight so that urine can be drained byusing the vacuum pump 31.

[0044] The percentage of urine collection by the urine absorbentmaterial 3 has been measured by operating the vacuum pump 31 for 120seconds using the urine receptacle 1, according to the presentinvention, which incorporates a non-woven fabric as the top sheet 2.Characteristic <a> in FIG. 6 shows the results. The characteristic <a>proves that even a vacuum pump 31 with a low power can achieve nearly80% of urine collection. In contrast, as indicated by characteristic<b>, a vacuum pump 31 with a high power drains only 60% of the urinefrom the urine absorbent material 3 when the non-breathable top sheet 2is absent.

[0045] As stated above, in the urine receptacle used for the presentinvention, the surface of the urine absorbent material is covered withthe liquid-permeable, hard-breathable top sheet. Therefore, as airpressure in the urine absorbent material decreases, the urine absorbentmaterial is compressed, causing urine to be squeezed out. As a result,the percentage of urine collection increases and the amount of urinewhich remains in the urine receptacle is reduced. With the increase inthe percentage of urine collection, a small capacity vacuum pump 31 witha low suction force can drain urine from the urine absorbent material.Therefore, it is possible to drain urine from the urine receptaclewithout discomfort to the wearer, and the device can be compact andlightweight.

[0046] Since the device can be compact and lightweight, if it is used asa portable automatic urine disposal device, it will be most efficient.Furthermore, because the device is compact and lightweight and thevacuum pump does not unnecessarily absorb air, noise is minimal andurine can be quietly drained without bothering other patients in theroom at night.

[0047]FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the urinereceptacle 1. FIG. 7 shows an example where the urine absorbent material3 comprises multiple layers laminated together and specifically shows anexample where two layers of the urine absorbent material 3 a and 3 b arelaminated. Those two layers are laminated such that the water-absorbentcapability of the urine absorbent material 3 b located on the bottomsurface of the outer sheet 4 is larger than that of the urine absorbentmaterial 3 a. The urine absorbent material 3 a is a hydrophilicsynthetic fiber tow bundle or sponge type material, and the urineabsorbent material 3 b is a hydrophilic foam or porous material.

[0048] According to the variety of postures in which the wearer mightbe, such as lying down on his/her back, lying down on his/her side, orsitting, a part of the urine absorbent material 3 will be compressedbetween the wearer's body and the bed or seating surface. If the wearerurinates in that situation, urine which has been discharged in the urinereceptacle 1 may flow back through the top sheet 2.

[0049] By laminating two layers of urine absorbent material 3 a and 3 b,as shown in FIG. 7, and increasing the water-absorbent capability of thebottom-layer urine absorbent material 3 b, it is possible to prevent theflowback of the urine absorbed in the bottom-layer urine absorbentmaterial 3 b.

[0050] Furthermore, by laminating more than two layers of urineabsorbent material 3, it is obviously possible to prevent the backflowof urine.

[0051]FIGS. 8 through 10 show another embodiment of the presentinvention. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an automatic urine disposaldevice. FIG. 9 is a block diagram partially broken away showing detailsof a urine receptacle, and FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view takensubstantially along the line C-D in FIG. 9. In FIG. 10, the drawing ofthe right side of the dot-dash line is an auxiliary cross sectional viewtaken in the direction of arrow C and the drawing of the left side is anauxiliary cross sectional view taken in the direction of arrow D.

[0052] The embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 through 10 differs from theembodiment shown in FIG. 1 through 4 in that the urine absorbentmaterial 3 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 through 10 comprises twolayers in which the upper-layer urine absorbent material 3 a that comesin contact with the top sheet 2 is divided into portions in the widthdirection and a plurality of accordion-folded balloons 7 are located inthe spaces between the divided portions of the upper-layer urineabsorbent material 3 a.

[0053] As FIGS. 9 and 10(a) show, two layers of the urine absorbentmaterial 3 a and 3 b of the urine receptacle 1 are laminated and arekept highly airtight by being encased in the outer sheet 4 and the topsheet 2. The upper-layer urine absorbent material 3 a is divided into aplurality of portions in the width direction of the urine receptacle 1and placed with spaces between them.

[0054] A plurality of accordion-folded balloons 7 are placed between thedivided portions of the urine absorbent material 3 a in the longitudinaldirection of the urine receptacle 1. The length of the balloon 7 isnearly the same as that of the urine receptacle 1 in the longitudinaldirection. The balloon 7 is made of a soft flexible member, such asvinyl chloride. One end (upper side shown in FIG. 9) of a plurality ofaccordion-folded balloons 7 is connected to one end of the air-blasttube 14 a.

[0055] The other end of the air-blast tube 14 a is connected to one endof the air-blast tube 14 b via the one-touch joint 16. The one-touchjoint 16 is mounted to one end of the air-blast tube 14 b. The other endof the air-blast tube 14 b is connected to the vacuum pump 31.Furthermore, the other end of the air-blast tube 14 b is connected to anexhaust port of the vacuum pump 31 when air is blasted into the balloons7, and is connected to the vacuum port of the vacuum pump 31 when air isdischarged from the balloons 7. However, to simplify the drawings, it isconnected to one location in the drawings.

[0056] When the wearer urinates in this configuration, the vacuum pump31 is activated and urine is drained into the urine tank 21 in the samemanner as the aforementioned embodiment. In that situation, the urineabsorbent material 3 a and the balloons 7 are in a state as shown inFIG. 10(a).

[0057] A control device installed in a control board 34 receives a urinedetection signal from the urine sensor 12 and after a specified timeduration has passed since the vacuum pump 31 was activated, the controldevice connects the other end of the air-blast tube 14 b to the exhaustport of the vacuum pump 31 and blasts air into the balloons 7. The timeduration is determined by the time necessary for the wearer to urinateand is specified, for example, from a period of 30 seconds to 60seconds.

[0058] The balloons 7 expand when air is blasted into them in the widthdirection of the urine receptacle 1. As the balloons 7 expand in thewidth direction, the urine absorbent material 3 a is compressed, therebythe width of the urine absorbent material 3 a gradually decreases. Whenair continues to be blasted into the balloons 7, the urine absorbentmaterial 3 a and the balloons 7 become the state as shown in FIG. 10(b).A plurality of balloons 7 ultimately form barrier membranes for theurine absorbent material 3 b as shown in FIG. 10(b).

[0059] The upper surface of the urine absorbent material 3 b is coveredwith the top sheet 2 and the balloons 7, which greatly increasesairtightness. Accordingly, the urine absorbent material 3 b is firmlycompressed and urine is squeezed out, thereby increasing the percentageof urine collection and reducing the amount of urine remaining in theurine receptacle 1.

[0060] After the vacuum pump 31 has completed draining urine, thecontrol device installed in the control board 34 connects the other endof the air-blast tube 14 b to the vacuum port of the vacuum pump 31 andthen the vacuum pump 31 discharges air from the balloons 7. The urineabsorbent material 3 a and the balloons 7 become the state as shown inFIG. 10(a). Connection of the other end of the air-blast tube 14 b tothe exhaust port or the vacuum port of the vacuum pump 31 is usuallyswitched by a valve.

[0061] After all the air has been discharged from the balloons 7, thevacuum pump 31 stops and the switching valve is returned to the originalposition, and the series of procedures will be completed.

[0062] Thus, an embodiment, shown in FIGS. 8 through 10, can alsoincrease the percentage of urine collection by the urine absorbentmaterial and reduce the amount of urine which remains in the urinereceptacle. Therefore, it is possible to drain urine from the urinereceptacle without discomfort to the wearer, and the device can becompact and light-weight.

[0063] Another embodiment of the urine receptacle will be explained withreference to FIGS. 11 and 12. In this embodiment, a perforated urinedrainage tube unit 115 is located at the bottom part of the urineabsorbent material. In the perforated urine drainage tube unit 115, oneend of three perforated urine drainage tubes 125 are connected with acommon tube 126. And, a urine drainage tube 111 a is connected to themiddle portion of the common tube 126 and the urine drainage tube 111 ais connected to the vacuum pump 31 side urine drainage tube 1 lb. Thejoint 113, which is installed at the end of the urine drainage tube 11la, is connected to one end of the urine drainage tube lib. The urinedrainage tubes 111 a and 111 b are made of soft, flexible materials andthe one-touch joint 113 is made of a soft material.

[0064] One end of the perforated urine drainage tubes 125 and the commontube 126 adhere to the rectangular mounting plate 117. Three perforatedurine drainage tubes 125 are juxtaposed to the mounting plate 7. Theperforated urine drainage tube 125 has a large number of circular urinedrainage pores 125 a as shown in FIG. 12. The urine drainage pores 125 aare formed on the upper half of the circumferential surface of theperforated urine drainage tubes 125.

[0065] The rectangular mounting plate 117 is made of a soft material andhas a rectangular hole 117 a. A pair of fixing tapes 112 a and 112 b isattached to the bottom surface of the rectangular mounting plate 117 andthe fixing tapes 112 a and 112 b adhere to a support sheet locatedinside the outer sheet 4. Fixing tapes 112 a and 112 b of the mountingplate 7 adhere to the support tape on the support sheet to attach theperforated urine drainage tube unit 115 to the support sheet. Then, thetop sheet 2 is attached to the support tape on the support sheet.

[0066] Three perforated urine drainage tubes 125 are held in place bythe concaved support sheet. The upper circumferential surface of theperforated urine drainage tube 125 on which many urine drainage pores125 a are formed abuts on the urine absorbent material 3. That is, alarge number of urine drainage pores 125 a abut on the urine absorbentmaterial 3 so as to absorb urine from the urine absorbent material 3.

[0067] According to this embodiment, the urine receptacle dischargesurine that has been absorbed by the urine absorbent material throughmany urine drainage pores formed on the perforated urine drainage tubes.Therefore, the percentage of urine collection by the urine receptacle isincreased and the amount of urine which remains in the urine receptacleis reduced. With the increase in the percentage of urine collection, asmall capacity vacuum pump with a low power can drain urine from theurine absorbent material. As a result, it is possible to drain urinefrom the urine receptacle without discomfort to the wearer, and thedevice can be compact and lightweight.

[0068] Since the device can be compact and lightweight, if it is used asa portable automatic urine disposal device, it will be most efficient.Furthermore, because the device is compact and lightweight and thevacuum pump does not unnecessarily absorb air, noise is minimal andurine can be quietly drained without bothering other patients in theroom at night.

[0069] As stated above, the present invention can increase thepercentage of urine collection by the urine receptacle's urine absorbentmaterial and reduce the amount of urine which remains in the urinereceptacle. With the increase in the percentage of urine collection, asmall capacity vacuum pump with a low power can drain urine from theurine absorbent material. Therefore, it is possible to drain urine fromthe urine receptacle without discomfort to the wearer, and the devicecan be compact and lightweight.

[0070] Since the device can be compact and lightweight, if it is used asa portable automatic urine disposal device, it will be most efficient.Furthermore, because the vacuum pump does not unnecessarily absorb air,noise is minimal and urine can be quietly drained without botheringother patients in the room at night.

[0071] Moreover, in the aforementioned embodiments, both the outer sheetand the top sheet are non-breathable or hard-breathable. However, ifairtightness of the urine absorbent material is increased, the sameeffect can be expected when those sheets are slightly breathable.

What is claimed is:
 1. An automatic urine disposal device fordischarging urine collected in a urine receptacle into a urine tank byusing a vacuum pump, wherein said urine receptacle comprises: asubstantially rectangular, non-breathable outer sheet having side facesextending upwardly or downwardly from two opposed sides of the bottomsurface, a urine absorbent material housed in said outer sheet, and ahard-breathable top sheet disposed on top of the surface of said urineabsorbent material; said urine tank being tightly sealed, a first urinedrainage means formed on the bottom surface of said outer sheet, asecond urine drainage means connected to said first urine drainage meansto direct urine into said urine tank and said vacuum pump creating avacuum in said urine tank.
 2. An automatic urine disposal deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein said urine receptacle keeps said urineabsorbent material highly airtight and said vacuum pump absorbs air fromsaid urine tank.
 3. An automatic urine disposal device according toclaim 1, wherein said outer sheet is liquid-impermeable, aliquid-permeable top sheet adheres to the upper end of the edge portionof said outer sheet to keep said urine absorbent material airtight, saidvacuum pump makes pressure in said first urine drainage means negative,and a urine sensor is provided to detect that urine has been absorbed bysaid urine absorbent material and activate said vacuum pump.
 4. Anautomatic urine disposal device according to claim 1, wherein ahard-breathable top sheet is disposed on top of the surface of saidurine absorbent material to keep said urine absorbent material highlyairtight, a lid for sealing said urine tank is provided, and a urinesensor is also provided to detect that urine has been absorbed by saidurine absorbent material and activate said vacuum pump.
 5. An automaticurine disposal device according to claim 4, wherein layers of urineabsorbent material are laminated and housed in said outer sheet so thatthe water-absorbent capability of the bottom-surface side urineabsorbent material may be large.
 6. An automatic urine disposal deviceaccording to claim 5, wherein said urine absorbent material has twolayers and an accordion-folded balloon stretchable and contractiblealong the surface of said urine absorbent material by air blast isdisposed between said urine absorbent material and said top sheet.
 7. Anautomatic urine disposal device according to claim 4, wherein said topsheet is disposed such that it can come in contact with a wearer'surinating, part.
 8. An automatic urine disposal device according toclaim 1, wherein the cross section of said urine receptacle is of forkedshape, letter U shape, or letter Ω shape.
 9. An automatic urine disposaldevice according to claim 4, wherein said urine receptacle has aperforated urine drainage tube which abuts on said urine absorbentmaterial and has a large number of urine drainage pores for dischargingurine and a support sheet which supports said perforated urine drainagetube, and urine is drained through said perforated urine drainage tubeinto said urine tank.
 10. A urine receptacle used for an automatic urinedisposal device to absorb urine discharged from a wearer's urinatingpart, wherein said urine receptacle comprises: a substantiallyrectangular, liquid-impermeable, non-breathable outer sheet having afork-shaped, letter-U-shaped, or letter-Ω-shaped cross section andhaving a urine drainage means on the bottom surface thereof, a urineabsorbent material housed in said outer sheet, and a hard-breathable topsheet disposed such that it covers the surface of said urine absorbentmaterial.
 11. A urine receptacle according to claim 10, furthercomprising gathers provided along the periphery of said outer sheet. 12.A urine receptacle according to claim 11, wherein said top sheet isliquid-permeable and said gathers are slanted inwardly along theperiphery of said outer sheet.
 13. A urine receptacle according to claim11, wherein an accordion-folded balloon stretchable and contractiblealong the surface of said urine absorbent material by air blast isdisposed between said urine absorbent material and said top sheet.